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The Massacre of the Banu Qurayzah: Difference between revisions
The Massacre of the Banu Qurayzah (view source)
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Yassir Qadhi states that the punishment was "harsh" and yet it is sometimes necessary to be harsh. Yaqeen institute scholar Abu Amina Elias (Justin Parrott) makes the cases that killing the "fighting men" prisoners of the Banu Qurayza was an "act of self-defense" on the part of the Muslim community and cites Deuteronomy 20:12-14 to justify the actions of the Muslims. He also claims that the prophet only sent his men their with arms to "defend themselves" and that the women and children of the Banu Qurayza were taken "into captivity" for their protection since all of their men folk had bee slaughtered <ref>"Did the Prophet commit genocide against Jews?" Faith in Allah There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger https://abuaminaelias.com/prophet-genocide-banu-qurayza/ April 8, 2013 </Ref>. Karen Armstrong, in her book A Short History of Islam, likewise claims "The struggle did not indicate any hostility towards Jews in general, but only towards the three rebel tribes. The Quran continued to revere Jewish prophets and to urge Muslims to respect the People of the Book."<Ref>Islam:A Short History Karen Armstrong Modern Library 2002 </Ref> | Yassir Qadhi states that the punishment was "harsh" and yet it is sometimes necessary to be harsh. Yaqeen institute scholar Abu Amina Elias (Justin Parrott) makes the cases that killing the "fighting men" prisoners of the Banu Qurayza was an "act of self-defense" on the part of the Muslim community and cites Deuteronomy 20:12-14 to justify the actions of the Muslims. He also claims that the prophet only sent his men their with arms to "defend themselves" and that the women and children of the Banu Qurayza were taken "into captivity" for their protection since all of their men folk had bee slaughtered <ref>"Did the Prophet commit genocide against Jews?" Faith in Allah There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger https://abuaminaelias.com/prophet-genocide-banu-qurayza/ April 8, 2013 </Ref>. Karen Armstrong, in her book A Short History of Islam, likewise claims "The struggle did not indicate any hostility towards Jews in general, but only towards the three rebel tribes. The Quran continued to revere Jewish prophets and to urge Muslims to respect the People of the Book."<Ref>Islam:A Short History Karen Armstrong Modern Library 2002 </Ref> | ||
These arguments are all echoes of the original arguments found in the material above. | These arguments are all echoes of the original arguments found in the material above. Ibn Ishaq claims that the Jews of banu Qurayza posed a threat to the Muslims via their betrayal and does portray Muhammad as hesitating to decide their fate. ibn Ishaq even recounts of how "harsh" the punishment was: | ||
{{Quote| Ibn Ishaq: 686|Apostle sent him (Abu Lubaba) to them (Banu Quraiza), and when they saw him they got up to meet him. The women and children went up to him weeping in his face, and he felt sorry for them. They said, ‘Oh Abu Lubaba, do you think that we should submit to Muhammad's judgement? He said ‘yes' and pointed with his hand to his throat signifying slaughter.}} | {{Quote| Ibn Ishaq: 686|Apostle sent him (Abu Lubaba) to them (Banu Quraiza), and when they saw him they got up to meet him. The women and children went up to him weeping in his face, and he felt sorry for them. They said, ‘Oh Abu Lubaba, do you think that we should submit to Muhammad's judgement? He said ‘yes' and pointed with his hand to his throat signifying slaughter.}} | ||
Yet critics of these pro-Islam viewpoints have pointed out that the verse cited by modern Muslims from Deuteronomy to justify the extermination of the Banu Qurayzah yet in fact this is not how the verse has been viewed in traditional Christian or especially Jewish scholarship. According to Jewish doctrine, these verse were revealed to him before the Israelites entered the Holy Land, specifically instructing them on how to deal with the people living there <Ref> Citation need</Ref>. Morever, the claim that there was no apparent animus towards the Jews of Banu Qurayzah on the part of Muhammad is contradicted by ibn Ishaq's account: | |||
{{Quote|Ibn Ishaq: 684 | "When the apostle approached their forts he (Muhammad) said: "You brothers of monkeys.., has god disgraced you and brought his vengeance upon you?" | |||
Banu Qurayza replied: "O Abul Qasim (Muhammad), you are not a barbarous person" }} | |||
Jewish anti-jihad scholar Andrew Bostrom points out that | |||
{{Quote|Al-Tabari: Vol 8. (p. 38)|The Messenger of God had commanded that all of them who had reached puberty should be killed.<ref>The History of Al-Tabari: The Victory of Islam, translated by Michael. F. State University of New York Press, Albany 1997, Volume 8. page. 38 </ref>}} | {{Quote|Al-Tabari: Vol 8. (p. 38)|The Messenger of God had commanded that all of them who had reached puberty should be killed.<ref>The History of Al-Tabari: The Victory of Islam, translated by Michael. F. State University of New York Press, Albany 1997, Volume 8. page. 38 </ref>}} | ||